Propose a toast to your success

cubicle culture

If you want to get ahead, having a drink with your co-workers might be the key.

January 29, 2007|By Caitlin Moscatello, Columbia News Service

The climb up the corporate ladder isn't easy for most Americans. But one thing can make the climb a little easier -- a drink.

Spending time with co-workers at happy hour is as important as impressing colleagues in the boardroom, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Labor Research. Researchers found that men who drink earn 10 percent more than those who don't, and women who drink earn 14 percent more than those who abstain. Drinking proved to be a decisive factor in determining annual income and access to job opportunities among those with the same education level, gender, ethnicity and religion.

The study surveyed 8,000 Americans nationwide. Participants were asked questions on everything from education level to marital status. Then for the kicker, the survey asked questions about drinking, including: "Do you consider yourself a drinker?" "Have you gone to a bar in the past month?"

After separating the drinkers from the nondrinkers, the co-authors of the study, Edward Peter Stringham, a professor of economics at San Jose State University and editor of the Journal of Private Enterprise, and Bethany Peters, an economist with the Analysis Group in Dallas, were able to compare the earnings of both groups.

The study's findings do track with other research.

Ryan Michaelis, an advertising manager in New York, isn't surprised. "It's the networking aspect that makes drinking with co-workers important," he says. "After a few cocktails, people let their guard down a bit. It's a social thing instead of all business, so you get to know people more personally."

Word is spreading, and networking Web sites have sprung up to help professionals add names to the electronic rolodex in their BlackBerrys. On the Web site NetworkingForProfession als.com, people can sign up for social events in Atlanta or New York. The events draw groups of professionals looking to exchange business cards and make themselves more marketable to employers by having a large network of contacts.

Peters and Stringham concluded that networking could be a major factor driving up the salaries of drinkers. Stringham, who became interested in the topic after reading a preliminary study by Peters in 2002, says he was surprised by the results.

"The standard account is that drinking is bad for you in all aspects," Stringham says. "There's even a verse in the Bible that says wine leads to poverty. Before doing this study, I assumed it was the case that drinking for fun isn't good for you."

Stringham says the significance of drinking might not be equal for everyone. "I would guess that certain industries with more socializing would have a greater premium for drinking," he says. "Someone in sales would find it more beneficial than, say, I don't know, an accountant."